QOTD: "I would prefer Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio to Donald Trump. I want a conservative President and, should Trump genuinely be converted to the principles of Hayek, Friedman, Kirk, etc., I think he needs time in the trenches of the movement to show his conversion sticks.

But I would gladly vote for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton or any other Democrat. He has bested the consultant class at its own game for now and the only one giving him a run for his money is Ted Cruz who, like Trump, has refused to use the D.C. political class to advance in the field.

Whether Trump makes it out of Iowa the winner or not, Republicans will owe Trump thanks for exposing their fault lines and flaws and showing just how inept, corrupt, and out to lunch the Washington Republican consultant class has become." --Erick Erickson

I can't say that I understand exactly what it is that Cruz supporters expect...it's one thing to say that polls don't matter this early, it's another to try to force a narrower constituent view into the mainstream by degrading the leader in the aforementioned polls.

Ask yourselves: Can Cruz win a general election, with some percentage of Trump supporters (assuming he blows up, as many seem to be praying) and with so many bloody bone stupid people willing to vote either for the most corrupt woman in American political history, or worse, an avowed Socialist? Can Ted really do that? Or are you hoping against hope? Has not Cruz already suffered the Palin-destroyed-by-the-media syndrome, while Trump beats them like a red-headed stepchild?

Does Trump have the support among minorities that articles linked RIGHT HERE ON THIS BLOG point to, as a 35-year anomaly? Does Cruz have, or can he acquire, that?Can he get blue-collar Democrats, left-leaning independents, and single parent millenials who don't want to loose their government baby-daddy check?

If Cruz HAS those attributes, is he saving them for later?

I like Cruz. As VP, he'd make McConnell's job in the Senate not so easy. Oh, the irony of that. As AG, he'd clean up the DOJ like nobody's business. But is he ready, is there the groundswell NOW for the Big Chair? Nope. We'd all love to see the government see-saw swing the other way, and in dramatic fashion.

Donald Trump jumped the shark when he went after Palin's endorsement. His strategy has taken a subtle political shift toward interest groups, and away from the strengths that have a broader appeal. Buh bye, Donald. You needed to be nice to people on the way up, because you meet them on the way down, say "hi" to Jeb.